Seat components typically include a trim cover, usually made of some type of flexible upholstery sheet such as fabric or synthetic leather, attached to a cushion. The cushion used for occupant seating is usually constructed with at least one trench or groove, and more typically with several trenches or grooves on its upper surface. The upholstery sheet typically includes sew lines formed by connecting sheets together or by decorative patterning. In either scenario, attachment mechanisms are used to attach the upholstery sheet to the cushion.
Some prior art methods for attaching the trim cover to the cushion involve the use of hog rings. In those methods, the seam is typically attached to a series of hog rings which are then attached to a metal wire that runs through the cushion generally parallel to the upper surface of the cushion. This process may be difficult to use because it requires inserting the wire through the cushion in order to provide the support needed for the hog rings. In addition, the process used for attaching the hog ring to the support wire may be cumbersome, and the materials used may be expensive compared to other alternatives.
Another method involves hooks and loops such as attaching a male strip of VELCRO™ to the seam and attaching a female strip (i.e., loop material) of VELCRO™ within the trenches in the cushion. The seam can then be secured within the trench by the VELCRO™ strip. Sometimes, the male or female Velcro is added to the cover. A potential problem with this method is that because of the inherent readily releasable nature of VELCRO™, the seam may become unintentionally detached from the cushion. Maintaining proper alignment of the seam may also be difficult when using VELCRO™.
Other prior art methods involve using some form of adhesive to attach the upholstery sheet seam to the cushion within the trenches. But this technique can pose a relatively significant problem if the seat component needs to be reupholstered, as adhesives are intended to be permanent attachments. Maintaining proper alignment of the seam may be difficult with adhesives as well.
Accordingly, there is a need for trim cover fasteners that are relatively easy to fabricate and use, that provide a relatively secure manner of attaching a trim cover to a cushion, and that could be detached relatively easily to allow for reupholstering.